Inside Attractions

Latest Reviews

Good tour, I think it should be bigger for Vegas everything is massive here. good time with the kids.

Sherry124

fromSan Diego

Age:45 to 54Gender:Female

Excellent

Aug 2, 2017

This was a very nice aquarium. It was beautifully designed and it had a great selection of fish and sea animals. I highly recommend this

Elburn22

fromElburn, Illinois

Age:45 to 54Gender:Female

Feel like you are undersea with the animals

Jul 1, 2017

We enjoyed Shark Reef, animals are swimming all around you, you can even reach out and touch the sting ray! A lot of fun!

Condition1

fromDetroit MI

Age:45 to 54Gender:Male

Great time!

Jun 26, 2017

Very Cool fish! Very Cool sharks! Nicely put together!

Carmen333

A great place to take the kids.

Sep 16, 2017

Visiting this exhibit is a great way of spending time with your kids in Vegas. My kids really enjoyed it. I was expecting a bigger aquarium. It seemed to end fast, but for he kids it was a good legth of time that we spent there.

$20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $14 for children 4-12. Children ages 3 and under are admitted free. Nevada residents with proper identification get a discount. Stingray Feed Experience costs $50 per adult and $40 for children (ages 5-12). Sea Turtle Feed Experience and Shark Feed Experience each cost $80 per person and include admission to Shark Reef Aquarium. Participants in the feeding programs can purchase a guided tour for an additional $25. For group rates are also available for parties of 20 or more, please call (702) 632-4555.

Restrictions:

The Stingray Feed Experience is open to those 5 years of age and older. The Sea Turtle Feed and Shark Feed experiences are open to those 13 years of age and older.

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef description

Shark Reef Animals

At more than 105,000 square feet, Shark Reef is home to more than 1,200 different species of sharks, tropical and fresh water fish, reptiles, marine invertebrates and rays totaling about 2,000 animals among 2 million gallons of seawater.

The ocean is probably the last thing people think of when they visit the dry desert of Las Vegas, but the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay is changing that.

Housing more than 1,200 species of marine life including sharks, exotic fresh and saltwater fish, a 300-pound sea turtle and much more, Shark Reef offers the aquatic experience of a lifetime.

The only accredited aquarium by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in Nevada, Shark Reef is popular with tourists and marine experts alike. Only 10 percent of aquariums are accredited nationwide, making it one of the most prestigious facilities of its kind, along with the San Diego Zoo and Sea World.

Shark Reef is reminiscent of an ancient temple slowly sinking into the ocean. The tunnel, which houses five species of sharks and the aquarium's largest animals, is designed to look like a sunken shipwreck and contains 1.3 million gallons of water. Here, visitors can witness a scuba diver's view of these mesmerizing creatures, including nurse sharks and tiger-striped sharks measuring up to nine feet long, and two tiger sharks that measure more than six feet in length.

Since the sharks at the Shark Reef are fed on a daily basis, the surrounding animals are in no danger. Sharks are fed three times a week, which is more than they would probably eat in the wild. In fact, the half-inch Blue Damsel, the tiniest fish at the Shark Reef, shares the same tank with these gigantic creatures.

When divers swim in to clean these tanks, they wear a stainless steel mesh, similar to what knights wore long ago. The metal helps keep the animals away so the humans don't look like food.

In addition to the shark tunnel, guests can experience exhibits featuring crocodiles, freshwater fish, piranhas and much more.

Since many of us aren't planning to pet a piranha anytime soon, visitors can enjoy getting a "hands-on" experience with various stingrays, eels and crabs at the touch pool.

Also at the Shark Reef is an eight-foot-long Komodo dragon, the largest species in the lizard family. Classified as an endangered species, there are only 3,000 to 5,000 that live in the wild. At Shark Reef, this particular Komodo lives within an environment similar to its habitat, complete with sand, boulders and a pool.

The Shark Reef is also home to colorful catfish, saw fish, beautifully patterned black-and-white potato cod fish and spiky mine urchins. The mine urchins do not move much, but visitors may catch a group of them munching on a "cookie," a nutritious wafer created specifically for their diet.

Visitors can also see a live female bowmouth guitarfish. Better known as a shark ray, this animal is considered a vulnerable species and very little is known about it. The 5-foot, 90-pound shark ray is one of only a dozen featured in aquariums throughout the United States.

For those who want an in-depth, personal enrichment about the animals, audio wands are available in Spanish, English and Japanese. In addition, Shark Reef's naturalists are available to answer any questions visitors may have.

Guests can also take part of the sea with them long after they leave Shark Reef. Located at the end of the exhibit, Shark Reef's gift shop features an assortment of figurines, picture frames, trinkets and souvenir photos for those who took one right before the tour.

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Location

3950 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89119

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Guest Reviews

Rated 4 out of
5 by
carlosky from
Good TImeGood tour, I think it should be bigger for Vegas everything is massive here. good time with the kids.

Date published: 2017-08-25

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sherry124 from
ExcellentThis was a very nice aquarium. It was beautifully designed and it had a great selection of fish and sea animals. I highly recommend this

Date published: 2017-08-01

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Elburn22 from
Feel like you are undersea with the animalsWe enjoyed Shark Reef, animals are swimming all around you, you can even reach out and touch the sting ray! A lot of fun!

Date published: 2017-06-30

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Condition1 from
Great time!Very Cool fish! Very Cool sharks! Nicely put together!

Date published: 2017-06-25

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Carmen333 from
A great place to take the kids.Visiting this exhibit is a great way of spending time with your kids in Vegas. My kids really enjoyed it. I was expecting a bigger aquarium. It seemed to end fast, but for he kids it was a good legth of time that we spent there.

Date published: 2017-06-16

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Lexa from
pretty funThis was fun but it was too small. took about 15 mins to walk through. The sharks were very cool but the rest was not too exciting

Date published: 2017-05-22

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ramtool from
Great attractionThis is a great attraction to pass some time in Las Vegas during the day.

Date published: 2017-04-14

Rated 4 out of
5 by
MJ68 from
nice, but doesn't take longNice animals to see, easy to walk-through, but not much to see. Done in 30 minutes.